Wednesday, 30 November 2016

The campaign by the Socialist Party to gain readmission to the Labour Party is really floundering quite badly. Most people on the left don't take their petition and protest seriously let alone anyone else. The latest edition of their rag The Socialist contains pleas from "trade unionists, who like the signatories previously published are all members of....well you can guess.

Hannah Sell writes (in all seriousness):

Earlier this month a joint application for Labour Party membership was submitted to the Labour Party NEC. It was from 75 people, with a combined Labour Party membership of over 1,000 years. A petition in support of their application has been signed by hundreds of trade unionists and activists.

All the applicants have previously been expelled or excluded from the Labour Party because of their socialist ideas.

Besides the fact that these expelled "members had all been members of the Revolutionary Socialist league (Militants, real name) at the same time and were trying to take over the structures of the Labour Party to turn it into a revolutionary Trotskyist organisation is not mentioned as the reason these "socialists" had been expelled. Nothing to do with their ideas, they were simply conducting a secret project as part of a distinct and separate party.

The totally useless Deputy General Secretary of the PCS union, Chris Baugh is quoted as saying:

"From my teens I was a Labour Party member for over 20 years before being expelled in 1995. For PCS members, Blair and Brown meant widespread privatisations, job cuts and attacks on pay and conditions. Blairism nearly destroyed Labour as a voice for working people. The election of Jeremy Corbyn is a chance to change things. In a personal capacity and alongside those who were unfairly expelled for our socialist ideas, I hope the Labour Party will agree our application to rejoin."

No Chris you were expelled for being part of an organisation that was trying to take over the Labour Party. You were and remain a member of Militant, now renamed the Socialist Party.

The real reason for the Socialist Party's new (re)turn to Labour is the simple fact their Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition has collapsed. Their projects have been ignored by everyone else on the left who have turned to Corbyn.

The TUSC has ceased standing candidates but the comrades are having a formal conference about the future direction of their electoral front in January next year not that it has one.

Sunday, 27 November 2016

Hundreds of journalists have been arrested, sacked and harassed following Turkey's attempted coup - set them free. Turkey experienced a bloody coup attempt on July 15 killing more than 250 people and targeting basic democratic institutions like the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) unreservedly condemn the coup and the use of force against citizens, journalists and media companies. The failed coup was followed by a state of emergency and excessive and indiscriminate measures to purge all individuals believed to be connected to the attempt. The Turkish authorities are now jailing journalists, shutting down radio and TV channels and censoring the internet in an attempt to silence criticism. 90 journalists are in jail and more than 130 media have been banned since mid-July. 2500 journalists have lost their jobs and arrest warrants have been issued for dozens of media workers.

Some families of journalists, who are in hiding or have fled, have been arrested to force them to surrender. Media workers, journalists and press freedom campaigners all over the world have joined protests calling for the release of all jailed journalists in Turkey. Press freedom is essential for democracy.

We demand Turkey sets the journalists free. Journalism is not a crime - Gazetecilik suç değildir!

Saturday, 26 November 2016

The death of Cuban communist dictator has been at the forefront of the news today. Fidel Castro was feted by the left as a hero and almost messianic figure for decades with trade unions being fooled by the hard left into affiliating to the Cuba Solidarity Campaign despite the continuing imprisonment of anyone who tried to set up a free trade union.

Cuba is not any kind of paradise with all political dissent suppressed and opponents imprisoned, tortured or killed with the bulk of the political left not raising a finger in protest, which speaks volumes about the kind of world these so-called socialists would create.

Free speech is absent from Cuba and this is the result.

Jeremy Corbyn with his usual foolishness declared:

“Fidel Castro was a massive figure in the history of the whole planet, ever since the revolution in 1959. There are stories of his heroism while living in Mexico in exile and then the boat to Cuba, the march to Havana… For all his flaws, Castro’s support for Angola played a crucial role in bringing an end to Apartheid in South Africa and he will be remembered both as an internationalist and a champion of social justice.”Lets look at his flaws or victims to use plain English in this video by the Cuba Archive:

Friday, 25 November 2016

Readers will probably recall the nasty little Trot Gerry Downing who was rightfully given the boot out of the Labour Party earlier this year for amongst other things being more than a little hostile to Jews or Zionists to use modern parlance. Downing is the leader of the tiny Socialist Fight organisation that originated out of the incestuous swamp known as the Workers Revolutionary Party (Proprietor Gerry Healy, thankfully deceased) which was financed by the Libyans and had links with all sorts of nasty regimes such as Saddam Hussein's Baathists and the Ayatollahs in Iran.

When the organisation imploded Downing like so many of the others "suddenly" discovered how corrupt the WRP was and many of them left to form their own groups of which Socialist Fight was just one.

Today it is believed to have no more than three members but manages to keep a website going for their unsavoury views. One of their new recruits Ian Donovan was kicked out of the small group known as the Communist Party of Great Britain who publish the wildly sectarian Weekly Worker which is essential reading for all would be "Trot Spotters".

Donovan became notorious for promoting the theory that there was an "international Jewish capitalist class" a notion not far off the far rights International Zionist conspiracy theory. Too much even for the "anti-Zionist" CPGB.

Downing managed to get his latest rant published in this weeks Weekly Worker. It seems he doesn't like Jon Lansman, head honcho of the pro-Corbyn Momentum Tendency and is out for blood. Downing has managed to wheedle his way into some tiny ginger group that is new to me, but is run by Nick Wrack, brother of FBU General Secretary Matt wrack;

I’m going to Nick Wrack’s Labour Party Socialist Network meeting this Saturday. It’s at ULU, Malet Street, from 12 to 5pm and looks like it’s the driving force against Lansman and may well defeat him at the February conference.

Nick’s brother, Matt, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, launched the crucial attack on Lansman and is now chair of the Labour Representation Committee. They are mainly ex-Militant Tendency supporters and it’s rumoured to be the vehicle for welcoming in up to half the membership of the Socialist Party, who are now entering Labour.

We could defeat Lansman and then be faced with a new battle there. But in a better, more leftist place to fight, given the democratising of the structures of Momentum necessary to defeat Lansman.

I’ve joined the LPSN for £1 a month retired fee and expect to be warmly welcomed.

Gerry Downing

Socialist Fight
Lansman is obviously shaking in his boots at the thought of the massed ranks of Socialist Fight coming after him. Lansman is in a wee bit of trouble with a lot of Momentum supporters for the demotion of the creature known as Jackie Walker another individual who has a problem with Jews Zionists.

Socialist Fight has published a lengthy tract attacking Lansman which you can find here if you have nothing better to do than watch paint dry.

As a reminder of what the 'orrible little man Downing is like, here's his car crash of an interview with Andrew Neill back in March.

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Being generally fed up with the constant sniping in the press TV and social media about Trump, Brexit and Corbyn I have not been alone in looking for and at more esoteric news stories recently. The Daily Express published a story about the "discovery" of ancient Pyramids buried in the Antarctic Ice.

These "structures" are apparently 10 miles inland and have "excited" scientists. Well actually this story is not new and videos about these pyramids have been on You Tube for some time now. In addition there have also been videos about the Alaskan Pyramid and there's another in Bosnia and possibly Spain.

Oh and there may be another deep in the ocean near the Canaries and in a sunken city at the bottom of the sea near Cuba.

Except these stories are rather nonsense peddled by the same types that prattle on about UFO's, alien invasions and extra-dimensional beings at war with the USA. The Express published the video produced by a guy called Tyler on his Secure Team You Tube Channel in which he often wets himself over the possibility of all sorts of things.

Thing is we all know there's gaps in human history and a lot has been lost over the thousands of years since mankind climbed out the trees but really there are limits.....

And that's not all. Take a look at this latest offering from UFOmania whose output of videos of the world of the weird is phenomenal.

Wednesday, 23 November 2016

There are times when I despair at the growth of the whining indulged in by those with nothing better to do. There's always somebody with a bleeding complaint about something that most of us could not give a jot about.

Tiny numbers of people complain about this programme or that one rather than simply turn the channel over(and there are lots to choose from even if the viewer only has Freeview) or (heaven forbid) even turn the television off and read a book.

Now the snowflake brigade has turned it's attention to an advert by Heinz Baked Beans. The BBC reports:A Heinz beans advert showing how to beat out a song on tin cans has been banned for health and safety reasons.

The advertisement featured young people and adults using empty or full tins to make the rhythm of a song, with the catchline "#Learn the CanSong".

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that mistakes might be made that could lead to people cutting their hands or fingers.

Kraft Heinz denied that the advertising campaign posed a risk.

And Just how many people complained?

Three viewers complained that the TV advert could encourage unsafe practice and six believed it featured behaviour that could be dangerous for children to copy.
Ridiculous.

The Health & Safety Executive were forced to point out:

"It does look like the term health and safety has been used incorrectly here".

"We would hope the public realise there are absolutely no regulations preventing children from playing with empty sealed tin cans.

"One thing kids never lack is imagination to invent their own games with the simplest of props. Obviously if a child is playing with a jagged edge on a tin container there is a risk of injury, but we would hope parents manage that risk."

Kids of my generation used two tin cans joined with a taut piece of string as a toy phone. Don't remember getting injured, but then we used to climb up trees and got up to all sorts of stuff without doing too much damage to ourselves...

Methinks people worry far too much these days. But really it took just just nine snowflakes to get an advert banned that was watched by millions.

Here's a song about from a time when we didn't worry about such things....

Monday, 21 November 2016

The recent decision of City University Students Union to "ban" The Daily Mail, Express and Sun is just the latest in a whole series of events that has allowed the easily offended to try and take away freedom of expression and free speech from those with whom they disagree.

Fact is no one forces anyone to read these papers. You actually either have to buy a copy or log on on-line to read their contents so if you don't want to read them you simply don't have to. It's not rocket science.

But don't tell us what we can and can't read.

Then there's the news that Peter Kay made a dodgy joke on Strictly Come Dancing. Judge Rinder didn't seem offended and frankly most gay men I know have a very raucous sense of humour and irony. Didn't stop the Twitter freaks though.

As if that wasn't bad enough Ant & Dec got into trouble for taking the piss out of their Australian hosts. Has anyone ever seen that Monty Python sketch where everyone's called Bruce?

There seem to be so many snowflakes around these days.

All humour is at someone else's expense in one way or another. Some cultures have a self deprecating sense of humour like the Irish and the Jews. They are not alone. Heck I've even seen a German comedian, just the one mind you.....

So dedicated to those of you who have political correctness stuck up your butts here's a totally offensive skit from Peter Cook & Dudley Moore.

British Muslim leaders have called on Britain to declare Ahmadis ‘non-Muslim’, the sentiments were expressed at an event held in Luton.

The event which took place at Jamia Islamia Ghosia was attended by Imams, Councillors, and Muslim community leaders from across Britain . The speakers urged the British Government to stop considering Ahmadis as Muslims since they rejected the mainstream Islamic view of ‘KhatmeNabuwat’ or Finality of Prophethood.

Ahmadiyya Muslims who consider their founder to be an Islamic Prophet were declared ‘non-Muslim’ by Pakistan in 1974 and have since faced persecution in the country, which caused many to migrate and settle in Britain.

The clerics demanded that whenever British Government officials, Mayors or Councillors take part in Ahmadiyya events they should do so considering Ahmadis as non-Muslims.

Speaking at the event Qazi Abdul Azizi Chishti said:

“They (Ahmadis) are committing blasphemy by using the name of Islam to propagate their false beliefs among youth and are using the British media to spread their ideology, they (Ahmadis) also tried to stop the Aalmi Tajdare KhatmeNabuwat conference in September”

Chesham Councillor, Muhammad Zafir Bhatti urged the clerics to organize more and more similar events. While Former Luton Councillor Raja Waheed Akbar said: “this event sends a message that the whole community stands together on this issue (of Ahmadis).” The event was also attended by Former Councillor, Raja Zafrullah Khan, Councillor Tahir Khan Malik and Councillor Muhammad Saeed.

Saturday, 19 November 2016

I was preparing to sit down and watch Independence Day: Resurgence when I came across the latest offering from UFOmania, one of the wacky You Tube Channels that brings us the news about Nazi flying saucers in Antarctica along with a giant "Troll" apparently.

It seems the Clintons are having to make a decision about releasing the news that aliens exist to the world media....or not...by January 6th 2017.

Possible? Well if anyone had told me that Donald Trump would have been President of the USA and Jeremy Corbyn leader of the Labour Party a few years back I would have just laughed out loud.

I'm not laughing now, but somehow I just don't think this one's gonna happen. Do you?

All these people are members of the Socialist Party. Yet the comrades continue to proudly proclaim 300 people have signed their petition, which isn't that many given the size of the Corbynista movement.

The attempt by the Socialist Party to present leading trade unionists as something other than their own members is not just laughable but frankly quite pathetic.

With Ted Knight returning from the political grave the last thing Labour needs is the old Militant Tendency in it's ranks.

Tuesday, 15 November 2016

The news that Ted Knight has returned to politics after being elected as Chair of the Gypsy Hill Branch of the Labour Party has both shocked and excited Trot Spotters around the country, especially as not many people knew he was still alive. A former leader of Lambeth Council he is best remembered for his role in being found guilty of "wilful misconduct" by auditors and was one of 31 Councillors forced to repay lost interest through a surcharge.

Knight was also renowned for his connections to Gerry Healy's Workers Revolutionary Party and it's predecessor the Socialist Labour League. Knight was expelled from the Labour Party in 1956 for his involvement in the SLL which was a "proscribed" organisation. Knight returned to Labour in 1970 through his meeting Ken Livingstone.

Livingstone, Knight and McDonnell were all involved in the production and promotion of the newspaper Labour Herald which was printed on the WRP's presses and had a similar political line to Healy on a whole range of issues. Knight and Livingstone regularly addressed WRP meetings over the years until Healy was expelled by his own party for sexual abuse.

Even then Livingstone was happy to to write an introduction to Healy's hagiography after his death, praising the abusive charlatan in no uncertain terms:

Paul and Corinna have been friends of mine for over 13 years. When they asked me to contribute a foreword to their biography of Gerry Healy I was delighted. At a time when political memories are growing increasingly short, it is good that the effort has been made to record the life of Gerry Healy, a revolutionary Marxist who had a massive impact on the working class socialist movement, in Britain and internationally.

The fashionable obsession with the "end of history" is no more than a disguise for jettisoning valuable common experiences and major contributions made by revolutionaries such as Gerry Healy. Naturally this suits those who would like to bury for ever the memory of his unique concept of political work.

I first met Gerry Healy in 1981, shortly after I became Leader of the Greater London Council and was immediately captivated by his vivid recollection of events and personalities on the left. He had recognised the changed political climate which enabled Labour to take control of County Hall, and that we were using the immense resources of the Greater London Council to support those struggling for jobs and other rights.

Gerry Healy saw that it was possible to use the GLC as a rallying fortress for Londoners who were opposed to Thatcher's hard-line monetarism. Contrary to the image spread by his opponents, I was impressed by the non-sectarian approach that the News Line took on the reforms the GLC introduced. News Line's coverage was thorough and objective throughout our struggles. Given we were under siege by the Fleet Street press, it was a relief to pick up the WRP's paper in the morning! The GLC's public relations department usually put the News Line articles on the front page of the daily press cuttings bundle.

The first discussion I had with Gerry Healy made a great impact on me. Coming from a party where long term thinking is usually defined by the next opinion poll, I was challenged by the broad sweep of his knowledge and the freshness of his approach. He knew how to operate in the political present through his understanding of the movement of economic and social forces.

Although we were in totally different political organisations, Gerry Healy always tried to find a point of connection with the world in which I moved. He did this because he wanted to find ways of working with the left in the Labour Party on common issues and principles. But he never laid down conditions. He accepted that there were fundamental differences between us, but they should not prevent us from collaborating against the Tories. It was a refreshing change from the world of intrigues and back-stabbing politics of the Labour Party. That is why I felt happy about speaking at News Line rallies, even though I came under a lot of fire from those like Dennis Healey within my own party.

During the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Gerry Healy and the News Line worked with a group of us in the Labour Party to end Labour's silence on the repression of the Palestinian people. In the aftermath of the slaughter of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shattila camps, we succeeded in winning the recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole legitimate representatives of the Palestinian People by the Labour Party Conference of 1982.

Gerry Healy and I both endured great upheavals during the 1985-1986 period with the Tories abolishing the GLC and the WRP torn apart by a major split. We lost touch for a time, but renewed contact a few years before he died because of his work in the USSR. I was happy but not surprised to discover that we had reached similar conclusions about the dramatic changes in the Soviet Union during 1987-1989. Our last meeting in the summer of 1989 was devoted to a long conversation about the significance of perestroika and glasnost. We both knew that the events in the Soviet Union would change the lives of everyone in the world, and especially those involved in socialist politics.

The other area we had a close understanding about was the role of the secret services in Britain. We knew that joint campaigning between genuine Marxists and socialists in the Labour Party was viewed as a dangerous threat by the intelligence services. In particular, contacts between us and national liberation movements such as the Palestinians drew even more attention from the British state.

My own research and experiences have strengthened, not weakened, my conviction that MI5 considers even the smallest left organisation worthy of close surveillance and disruption. Given the pivotal role of Healy in maintaining contact with Yasser Arafat's HQ through the WRP's use of the latest technology, MI5 clearly felt that they had to stop the growing influence of the WRP. I have never changed my belief that the split in the WRP during 1985 was the work of MI5 agents.

It was a privilege to have worked with Gerry Healy. I know this book will give those who did not know him an opportunity to understand his contribution to the working class revolutionary movement.
Of course the WRP has long gone except for a tiny rump around Sheila Torrance who still publish the News Line..daily.

I wonder how long it will be before Red Ted writes for the daily News Line?

Sunday, 13 November 2016

They've marched through the streets holding pictures of Corbyn "Soviet" style, set up a fan club called Momentum, produced t-shirts, jumpers and god knows what else so the release of a Christmas pop single comes (almost) as no surprise.

This may be a family blog but for f*cks sake Labour is doomed.....

Personally I though it should have been Steptoe & Wine but then I'm a sarcastic old reactionary git!

Saturday, 12 November 2016

The two main Trotskyist organisations outside the Labour Party have been rallying today. The Socialist Party has had the first day of it's Annual "Socialism" affair where the activities consist of being lectured at by the leading cadres on the need to build the Socialist Party. This year of course the former Militants have applied "en-masse" to rejoin the Labour Party.

The Stalinist Morning Star wryly commented that this was just a publicity stunt to coincide with their annual bash. However given most left leaning individuals are all heading to Labour to back Corbyn and are more likely to back Momentum. Mind you the old Millies have little time for Jon Lansman and his merry men.

However Peter Taffe the General Secretary of the Socialist Party has made it quite clear he wants to join Labour to "purge the Blairites", so Momentum will have to wait it's turn when the Millies return.

Meanwhile desperate not to be forgotten the Socialist Workers Party had one of their Unite the Resistance meetings today. Originally scheduled to attend and speak was one John McDonell but he pulled out after facing criticism about sharing a platform with the highly discredited SWP. "Comrade delta" & all that.

According to their website:

Up to 300 trade unionists and activists from around Britain gathered in central London today,Saturday, at Unite the Resistance national conference.

That's actually not very many given their previous assertions of attendance by thousands, but then the SWP is not very good at maths not even being able to accurately count it's own membership which has suffered as the result of several splits in recent years firstly over "Respect" which led to the creation of Counterfire and some Scottish group (whose name escapes me) that seems to have faded away.... and secondly the delta affair itself which saw the party tear itself apart as members left in disgust over the treatment of women and the issue of rape.

The SWP have never recovered and continue to be shunned by most. They got one new member at the time, one Jane Aitcheson who having been deposed by her comrades in the Socialist Party from a comfy position as PCS DWP Group President defected to the SWP. At the time I did write to her to tell Jane not to do it, but guess being a "right-winger" in PCS at the time held no sway. Never mind, Ms Aitcheson has her moment with UtR:

Rounding off the day Jane Aitcheson and Julie Sherry from Unite the Resistance spoke at the final rally.

Jane said the conference had been a perfect antidote to a week that could easily demoralise people. She paid tribute to the people in the US that have taken to the streets to protest against the outcome of the presidential election.

She argued for the same kind of action here to challenge austerity and inequality in society.

That'd be lot's of whinging, futile protests and a few smashed shop windows then.

Meanwhile Corbyn and his three pounders continue to make Labour unelectable. Did you see the fool hide from a reporter on ITV? Pathetic.

Friday, 11 November 2016

As if the Labour Party did not have enough problems to contend with at the moment it appears that 75 members of the old Militant Tendency, now organised as the Socialist Party have submitted a joint application to the Labour Party National Executive.

These include Peter Taffe, the General Secretary of the Socialist Party and Dave Nellist a former Labour MP who organised a group of Militant councillors in Coventry for several years (under the banner of Socialist Alternative) until they were all wiped out in the local elections.

There was a hard long battle to remove these parasites from Labour back in the eighties when Militant was a much larger and stronger organisation than it is today. They became infamous for bankrupting Liverpool Council and using taxi's to send out redundancy notices to workers.

Since those days the group has split asunder with the Scottish Militants going there own way to electoral oblivion under Tommy Sheridan. The founder of Militant Ted Grant split with around 200 or so members to form Socialist Appeal which remains buried and semi-hidden in the Labour Party.

The Socialist Party is believed to be around 2,000 strong and currently has the controlling influence over the largest of the civil service unions PCS, though the unions size and influence has declined somewhat under their tenure.

The organisation has been in alliance with the Socialist Workers Party and RMT union in trying to build an electoral alternative called the Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition which has proved a road to nowhere.

The Socialist Party is affiliated to the Trotskyist Communist Workers International (CWI) whilst its rivals in Socialist Appeal run the International Marxist Tendency (IMT).

With the rise of Corbynism it is hardly surprising that the old Militant Tendency would wish to return but Labour members should be aware it is a distinct, separate political party with it's own structures policies and international affiliations and is thus it's members automatically ineligible for membership.

Thursday, 10 November 2016

One of those times that we need you all to do your bit. We need you to send the following letter encouraging your own local MP to attend an upcoming debate on the Balfour Declaration. Please take literally a few seconds to ensure your voice is heard in Parliament. By signing this letter you will NOT be added to any mailing lists. You will NOT receive any future emails because you signed it. Your details will NOT be seen by other groups ororganizations. Simply click on the following link, add your name and postcode and everything else will be done for you. As the debate is imminent your help is time sensitive so please add your name today!

Parliamentary friends of Israel have secured a debate in the House of Commons to celebrate the Centenary of the Balfour Declaration.

It will take place on Wednesday, 16 November at 9.30am in Westminster Hall.

Working with the Israel-Britain Alliance and their partnership network, which covers every part of the United Kingdom, we have seven days to contact our MPs and let them know that we want them to attend this debate and celebrate this important event.

We shouldn't forget that it was the British Government that was the first major power to recognise the Jewish peoples' right to self determination.

That recognition came in the shape of the Balfour Declaration.

A letter dated 2 November 1917 from the British Foreign Secretary handed to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland by Lord Rothschild.

Debates like this don't happen very often - we have a short window of opportunity to encourage Parliamentarians to attend this debate and support Israel.

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the USA seems to have shocked the world as much as Brexit did for us. Much has already been written about this phenomenon and rather than try to compete I thought I'd just draw attention to the various protests taking place across America.

Most of these are peaceful but those who turned to window smashing and looting undermine their own case. Michael Moore, the Documentary maker told TV reporters that after Brexit Britain left Europe. America has left America by voting Trump.

In the meantime this video from the Foo Fighters came to mind....dunno why!

Tuesday, 8 November 2016

With the American election currently in full swing there seems little point in speculating at the outcome which is predicted to be out around 4am our time when most of us (myself included )will be tucked up in bed. So what other stories are "in the news"?

First off there's changes to our Toblerone Bars. Damned Swiss American Imperialists, eh! The BBC reports:

A decision to space out the distinctive triangular chocolate chunks in two Toblerone bars sold in the UK has upset fans who say that they do mind the gap.

The product's makers, US-based Mondelez International, said it had changed the design to reduce the weight of what were 400g and 170g bars.

Some consumers have described the move as "the wrong decision" and said the bigger spaces looked "stupid".

Mondelez said the move was down to a rise in the cost of ingredients.

In a statement on the Toblerone Facebook page, the company said it had to make a decision between changing the look of the bars or raising the price.
Bizarrely Giant Lizard conspiracist David Ike asks if it is a sign. Yeah mate, it's called cost cutting......

Monday, 7 November 2016

In just a few hours the American people will be going to the polls to elect their country's 45th President. They have two real choices (there are fringe candidates) Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. To those of us watching events from the UK, US politics seems (and is) such a different world to the one we are used to. Neither candidate is perfect but Donald Trump is such a loose canon I cannot imagine what kind of a President he will make.

Every four years the election of the leader of the Free World makes headlines in not just the West, but also amongst our political and military rivals, potential enemies of the way of life so many of us take for granted.

When Obama ran for President, Joe McCain seemed politics aside at least a rational choice for the "right" of US politics. A former serviceman he had strong views opposing the use of torture as he had suffered such barbaric acts in the Vietnam war. His choice of running mate, Sarah Palin however made my jaws drop as I listened to a woman who claimed she understood Russia as she could see it from Alaska where she lived. I even purchased her (ghost written) autobiography which managed to offend me totally within 100 pages when she justified hunting in the following terms. God had made animals of meat. An attitude to wildlife that frankly made me shiver.

A movement grew up around her banal and absurd worldview which seemed to not just ignore reality but actually made things up or said things in complete and total ignorance.

And we think British politics is bad.

Now we have Trump, a gross bigoted "pussy grabber"whose uncouth and selfish politics just shock. And yet the election is close....

I know Hillary Clinton is far from the best choice but given the two she has to win.

So my message to American readers is please do not vote for Trump. He's not just a fool. He's dangerous.

Sunday, 6 November 2016

The decision of the judges to uphold the rule of parliament has caused a quite unecessary outburst of bile and hate. After all the referendum was all about returning power to the UK, so the brexiteers have actually got what they want.

However a problem remains.

Social media sometimes lets matters get out of all proportion as the morons who tweeted rape and death threats are thankfully only a tiny minority, but there is a layer of people who think that the government is dragging it's heels over triggering Article 50, especially since such a process will take around two years to complete.

The problem lies with the previous Cameron/Clegg government.

The decision to hold a referendum was taken in due haste without due regard to the possible consequences. Quite simply Cameron thought he would win and didn't, so everyone is now at a loss what to do. The situation hasn't been helped by another one of his daft decisions to have fixed term parliaments without which it would be easier to hold a sorely needed general election.

The decision to leave the EU has been decided by the public, there can be no going back on this vote whether the "remainers" (of which I was one) like it or not. How we negotiate our way out is far too complex for a referendum therefore the main political parties need to to go to the country to get a mandate around general principles and get a mandate from which to begin.

The outcome of such an election seems a forgone conclusion with the Tories getting a massive majority over Labour because Jeremy Corbyn is not only a poor leader but is both economically and politically dangerous to this country and it's allies.

Frankly Labour's chances will not improve in 2020 if Corbyn and his cronies are still in charge. His cowardly running away from an ITN reporter yesterday shows us all we need to know about this fool.

The Liberal-Democrats may pick up a few seats following their collapse at the last election but Theresa May is on course for a massive electoral victory.

Labour is probably going to be out of power for a decade or more. That's the reality. The thought of Corbyn, McDonnell and Milne in Downing Street is a nightmare I hope this country never has to face.

Thursday, 3 November 2016

Anyone who has been affected by this damned cold virus that's doing the rounds at the moment will know how bad it is. Talk of Brexit, the misspelling of Corbyn's name (inshallah), arguments over poppies and the threat of a complete tosser entering the White House have crossed my mind as subjects over the last two days but general tiredness has and is preventing me from joining the general throng.

However having posted one of UFOmania's videos a few days ago I decided to check their channel once again to see what amusing concoction they had put together lately. Their output is impressive and the variety of subjects isn't all just aliens..... well most of it is. There's stuff on the Bosnian Pyramids (yeah had heard that one), ancient rings and god knows what else, but it was this cheery little number I decided to play.

Old Julian Assange, according to them a victim of a CIA honey trap" was arrested on the brink of exposing the USA's war with UFO's in the Antarctic. Yep. Not limited to the long forgotten "Operation Highjump" after the second world war, they're back.

Tuesday, 1 November 2016

The social media has been filled to the brim with both comment and derision about the latest absurd goings on inside the latest "left" project. Momentum. Not so long ago there was excitement over the creation of a new . It was considered the future and attracted thousands of "likes" on Facebook and off the comrades went to form a new party.

Hilariously (or not depending on one's point of view) Left Unity had factions in place before it had even agreed it's own organisation. The various left groups other than the Socialist Party and the SWP all piled in for a while. It had the effect of driving people out as they squabbled over the pickings available.

Even their conferences were an obvious bureaucratic nightmare for those who dutifully tuned into the live-streamed event on their laptops in comfort on their sofas.

Then a delegate decided to make her contribution in "song"....

For those of us who hadn't already lost the will to live watching these self indulgent proceedings this was the final straw. Currently most of Left Unity have headed to Labour Party where their old friends the various trot groups are active once again.

There have been several initiatives to unite the comrades over the years. The one I recall from my youth was Socialist Unity, fronted by Tariq Ali's long gone International Marxist Group (IMG). Years later there was the Socialist Alliance which had the plug pulled on it by the SWP who sought an alliance with the Mosques and George Galloway.

We all know how that ended....badly, leading to the first split in the SWP and the establishment of the dreadful Putinist front group, Counterfire. Couldn't even run a cafe that lot.

Now we see the latest left assembly falling apart.

Momentum is in crisis over it's handling of conference and committee procedures and has led the various comrades to complain about the "lack of democracy" in their organisation. John Lansman the actual owner of the group has already fallen foul of the Momentumistas over his demotion of the rabidly offensive Jackie Walker.

Called a lapdog of the "Israeli Embassy" in some quarters he was. Capitulating to the Zionists. Tsk

Now Matt Wrack the FBU General Secretary has entered the fray offering his advice on "how things work in the Labour Party". Not sure how he knows exactly. In the past he has been a member of the Socialist Party (Militant), disaffiliated his union from Labour and at the last general election was extolling the virtues of the Socialist Party's TUSC.

Mark Serwotka the failed messiah of the PCS union also took a similar course (SWP/Respect/TUSC)
as they all line up with Jeremy Corbyn calling for democracy with party members having the right to vote for the party leader and more.

Except it doesn't seem to apply inside Momentum itself. "One Man One Vote" is "Blairite pseudo-democracy" (no laughing at the back) and want delegates elected at meetings. The meetings of course will be dominated by the vanguardists both within and of Momentum.

Now currently Momentum has around 20,000 members which compared to the influx of new people into the Labour Party is actually just a small proportion. Trouble is this argument is NOT about democracy it is about control. The opponents of OMOV (surprised no one's shouted "sexist" about that term, but I digress) think members on their own will be "atomised" (no that doesn't mean nuked) but actually refers to these people being able to cast a vote on an issue without a comrade berating them about the "correct line".

Indeed there is a danger that some ordinary folk might look up an issue on line and consider their options by reading perhaps a variety of articles on a given subject and heaven forbid make their own minds up....

They might even begin to realise they have been conned by Momentum and even ( I live in hope) by Jeremy Corbyn who really isn't what he seems and represents a side of politics that should have died out with the collapse of fascism and Stalinism.

In the mean time as the comrades fall out and take over the Labour Party the Tories are well ahead in the polls and the main reason for that is that most of us actual voters do not want the tired old politics of the thirties that are on offer.